Recruiting coordinator Patrick Austin leaves Mississippi State for other opportunity

Callaway head football coach Patrick Austin will become a recruiting specialist at Mississippi State.

STARKVILLE — One of Mississippi State’s top off-the-field assistants is leaving the program for a different opportunity in the NFL.

Patrick Austin, Mississippi State’s director of recruiting communications/recruiting coordinator, will no longer serve in that role and will instead take a job at the next level, sources said, but the details of the move are not yet finalized. FootballScoop also reported the news Tuesday.

Austin has been known as an ace recruiter and was instrumental in the recruitments of several Mississippi State players like receiver Stephen Guidry, for instance. High school players often raved about him while high school coaches found him relatable; Austin was Callaway’s head football coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, leading the Chargers to a 10-15 record overall and an MHSAA 5A playoff appearance in 2014.

Austin joined Mississippi State as a recruiting specialist in February 2016 after spending two seasons at Callaway. Austin was then promoted to his current role after Joe Moorhead was hired. Moorhead credited Austin and other off-field staffers Rod Gibson and Brad Peterson for introducing Moorhead to high school and JUCO coaches in Mississippi and around the region while also staying in contact with recruits during the transitional period.

Mississippi State has not made any confirmation of Austin's departure, but his name is no longer on the staff directory online. It is unclear who will replace Austin. Mississippi State's recruiting office is led by director Mike Villagrana and also features Peterson (director of high school relations/player personnel), Gibson (assistant director of recruiting communications), Niel Stopczynski (director of scouting) and Drew Raucina (recruiting specialist).